Lots of Wiis for the Japanese

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400,000 consoles available from day one.

By Patrick Kolan

In stark contrast to the scant 80-to-90,000 units allocated to Japanese gamers at the launch of the PlayStation 3 this week, Nintendo has announced it will provide 400,000 units at launch. Interest in the Wii is feverish right now in the land of the rising fun, and if these figures are anything to go by, Nintendo has taken this demand into consideration.

At this stage, Nintendo has yet to announce shipment figures for the North American launch. IGN contacted Nintendo Australia's PR Manager, Vispi Bhopti, for an exact figure for the Australian launch. He commented, "We are still finalising the Australian shipment numbers."

Australians have been receptive of Nintendo's DS handheld and the new method of control that it introduced. Hopefully, with clear interest in the Wii, Nintendo will capitalise on launch hype and continue to support the system in Australia with regular first- and third-party titles, along with plenty of Virtual Console content.

We'll endeavour to confirm launch shipment figures before the Wii launches in Australia on December 7.